I think I am FINALLY getting the hang of this blog stuff.......

Okay, watch out.....I think I FINALLY am getting the hang of this blogging world....I couldnt figure out HOW to put pictures "throughout" my ramble, and not just on top.....WELL .....I just got a quick tutorial from the cyber sleuth aka :Cathy from Avalon Rose.....She is amazing on a computer. So Now I can post pics inside the test....watch this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CHECK IT OUT.....HAHAHAHAH I feel sooooo smart...."not really" but at least more accomplished.
This picture is of a display that we did for a retail store.
Anyway, can you tell that I LOVE moss???? I think it is such a cool look. On anything...I am sure EVERYONE knows the secret sauce to grow moss, but I will tell you again , just in case you forgot.....Take a blender , mix a big tub of yogurt and just add some real moss, but if you dont have any, add some vine leaves that green seems to get the process going quickly then paint a thick coat on any cement or terracotta surface....Make a "tent" over it with plastic,and keep it moist in the shade.....give it a couple weeks and VIOLA....it looks like you dug it up in an abandoned garden in England somewhere.....MAGIC !!!!

I have always loved this armoire....It is made with the "antiqed Mirror"...such a cool look. I know you probably know how to make mirror look old too....but I found a really good and easy way to add instant antiquity....... Take the mirror out of the object you found it in......pur some paint stripper in a spray bottle, or just dip a THICK bristle brush in the stripper and "flick" the stripper in thick splats on the back of the mirror. After about 20 minutes or so the backing will release from the glass... I like to do it a couple of different times, so it doesnt look to contrived and precise. Then when that is done, wipe on the back, black shoe polish, old english furniture polish and maybe watered down paint in the color of your choice. It will age it beautifully.....What REALLY looks good is to take out the entire "center" of a mirror....but destressed looking...NOT perfectly...then add a picture into the frame, and it gives you an amazing distressed mirror "mat" around your artwork or print......Oh, you will love it.....

Stop and smell the roses.
Gina

Planning for New York........

Well today was an incredibly gorgeous day !!!!! I cant even express how much I adore Summer. My daughter (in glasses) played dressup with her friend Katie...Creative forces in the making.

It is by far thee most wonderful time for me....I love when my kids are out of school...they are a blast to have around...and they crack me up all the time. I think my favorite time of the year, is the first day I get to drive barefoot......I just LOVE not wearing any shoes...I know , I know, that sounds disgusting...but that is when I KNOW summer is here......I have gone out to a store before, and realized that I dont have any shoes.....do you know how that can be an inconvienence.....I think that rule : no shirt, no shoes, no service was written for me.....

The shirt I will never forget, but those shoes..yikes. I was born in California, lived in Iowa for a year in 6th grade, and that is where I met my best friend Teresa...We are STILL freinds after all these years... She is a wonderful gal.....her family is terrific, and her husband......W_E_L_L.... He is another story...hahah Actually he is a good guy, but definately different...I dont think I have EVER seen him without a beer in his hand....He cracks me up, and I think when he and I get together it drives Teresa crazy, we are like 2 brats...and we think each other is soooooo funny but noone else does. I will certainly discuss him later.

I dont know how I got onto Iowa, I think it was the living in Iowa part, anyway, I think my love of animals was just zoomed up in Iowa....I had a pair of EVERYTHING that was MY own personal barnyard.....I used to bring them all in the yard, and make those daisy chains, and the would all have these flowers in their hair, around their necks you name it, I even decorated my pets....pathetic isnt it???? But they looked sooo sweet. What I wouldnt give for a picture of that now!!!!

I guess in a nutshell, Ellie Mae Clampet is my Hero. So today was an amazing day, It was beautiful with just the right mix of blue sky and clouds. The weather was Hot...that is how I like it....very hot. I cant stand airconditioning but my family loves it, so I usually go outside to get comfortable. I did some weeding, sketching of new designs, and sat in the grass with Molly the sheep , a stray dog that wondered on my property while I was in Chicago...(poor thing) he is sooo sooo skinny. But looking better now.

My Partner Adam...we pronounce it AHH Dum......came over today, and we mashed the numbers and planned out our attack for the New York Show....My Husband....who is Einstein with numbers gave us some of his advise and comic relief...he is so funny sometimes, and doesnt even know it..... Adam doesnt want to be photographed, so I have given you the best shot of him ...you can visualize him through the hands , or just come to the booth in New York and see him for yourself!!!!! I showed him my prototypes for the spring line..and thankfully he liked them too..... I finshied my chores, and should really be working on the website...but Geez....Noone said it would take so long...besides it is soooo boring, and frustrating...I didnt know that pictures sizes made a difference. I have a new respect for the people who really are up to date on their sites.....I will be too....VERY SHORTLY....I have to follow through with my promises that the site will be up in August.....I am the kind of person who really needs a deadline, or I will put it off till doomsday.........

TONS OF LOVE

GINA